Character Analysis: Drew

Character Analysis: Drew

By: Brian Cotnoir

There aren’t very many films out there quite like “Office Space”.  Since its release in 1999 it has gone on to achieve the high honor of being considered a “Cult Film”.  I think most people have seen it at least once, whether it be on a DVD being watched in a college dorm room, or one of the many re-showings on syndicated television.  I really like the characters in the film from the ridiculous and curious Milton Waddams, to the monotone and irritating Vice President of Initech Bill Lumbergh, to the hot, yet repressed waitress Joanna.  There are just so many memorable and enjoyable characters in this film that it’s darn near impossible to pick just one to write a Character Analysis on. The obvious choice would be to do one on the films Protagonist, Peter Gibbons.  After all he is the main focus of the film and he has left a huge impact on me and my work ethic.  I’ve always strived to be laid back and blunt just like him and on more than one occasion I’ve used his “...it’s not that I’m lazy, it’s that I just don’t care” line at work, but no I’ve decided to pass on Peter and write one on another character; one who is barely even in the film, but left quite the impression on me.  So without further adieu here is my Character Analysis on Drew from “Office Space”.

CHARACTER: Drew from “Office Space” (1999)

The "O" Face!

Drew is an employee of Initech, a fictional computer software company in California.  He has blonde gelled up hair and is quite the gossip.  Drew comes across at that guy in the office who is always trying to make himself seem cool and important.  Usually, when we see him in the film he is butting in on something that Peter and his friends/co-workers Michael and Samir doing.  His lines typically start off with “Hey have you guys heard...”.  The things he usually talks about are very mundane.  In one scene he is telling Peter, Michael, and Samir about how one of their former co-workers Tom, just got a ton of money from a law suit from injuries he suffered after being struck by a drunk driver, and that he’s throwing a party and that he’s invited everyone from Initech.  Drew brags about how he wants to take the “new girl from logistics” to Tom’s party and says “If things go well I might be showing her my ‘O’ face” and then he proceeds to make sexual gestures and sounds that neither Peter, Michael or Samir find amusing.  It’s lines like this that suggest that Drew may be trying to overcompensate for some sort of lack of masculinity.                              

    The next time we see Drew he is trying to have a conversation with Peter at Tom’s party.  When he finds out that Peter is dating Joanna, he informs Peter that she has quite the promiscuous reputation.  He then proceeds to list of guys that he’s heard she has slept with.  He mentions Lumbergh, and Peter believes Drew is talking about their boss Bill Lumbergh—who he hates with a passion—but Drew is actually referring to another man named Rod Lumbergh, who most people tell Peter is nice and very well liked guy.  Upon hearing this news from Drew, Peter finally snaps out of his trance...I bet you totally forgot about that, huh?  Remember that “trance” that Peter was put in at the beginning of the film by the Hypno-Therapist that made him calm, relaxed, and left him without any stress or anxiety?  The one that he would only come out of after the Hypno-therapist snapped his fingers, but he suffered a fatal heart attack before he could snap his fingers?  Well Drew is the person who—somehow— drags Peter out of that trance and perpetual state of calm and relaxation and reintroduce fear, stress, anger, and anxiety to him.  That’s quite a big deed for such a minor secondary character.

THE ACTOR:

     The actor who plays Drew in “Office Space” is Greg Pitts.  This was Pitts first film role ever, and for a man who only spends a few minutes on screen he leaves quite the impression.  Most guys who’ve seen this film can probably recite his “O-Face” line.  I was surprised to see that Pitts hasn’t had many other big roles in films. He has gone on to play small parts in big name prime time television programs like “Greys Anatomy”, “Sons and Daughters”, Weeds”, and “Bones”.  It’s quite sad because I would’ve imagined he would’ve gone on to do more comedic roles in films in television because he really was quite funny in “Office Space”

CHARACTER IS SIMILAR TO OR INSPIRED BY:

Michael Scott from TV's "The Office"

The character of Drew is a pretty generic. He’s the run of the mill office worker who tries to convince people that he’s cool and important, so it’s rather impressive that Pitts brings so much life and personality into him.  I don’t watch the Television series “The Office”, but I asked one of my friends who is a fan of the show if they had to compare Drew to any character on the show that it would be Michael Scott, and their reasoning was that “[Michael] tries way too hard and makes things unnecessarily awkward the more he tries to make things relaxed and seem cool”.  If I had to stretch it I’d say he’s similar to Matthew McConaughey’s character David Wooderson from “Dazed and Confused” (1994).  They’re both secondary characters and they both have some pretty sleazy lines, it’s a stretch, but I do believe they are somewhat similar.

THE FATE OF THE CHARACTER:

     Like everyone at IniTech, Drew found himself suddenly unemployed when the whole office was burnt down by disgruntled employee Milton Waddams.  After that we don’t ever find out what become of Drew.